4,119 cars ticketed, 2,751 towed for Minneapolis street sweeping

The final numbers are in, and Minneapolis officials wrote 4,119 tickets for vehicles left on city streets during this fall's street sweeping.

Of those, 2,751 were towed to the impound lot, 9 percent more than last year.

"We'd prefer to have no cars parked on the streets when sweeping takes place," said city spokesman Casper Hill. "That makes it easier for our street sweeping crews to do their work."

The annual street sweeping began Oct. 23 and wrapped up Nov. 17. In an effort to notify residents when the sweeper was to come down their block so that they could move their vehicles off the street, the Public Works Department posted temporary "No Parking" signs at least 24 hours in advance of the parking ban.

The city also made 3,500 phone calls each night to residents who would be affected by the next day's cleaning, and the city posted announcements on Twitter and Facebook to get the word out. Videos in English, Spanish, Somali and Hmong were posted on YouTube and aired on cable channels 14 and 79.

Despite the city's efforts, not everybody got the message or paid attention to it.

For those who didn't and had their vehicle towed, the cost was $138 for the tow plus $18 for each day the car was stored at the impound lot. There also is a $6 fee for a notification letter.

Over the course of the four weeks, five teams of workers picked up leaves and debris from more than 1,100 miles of roads.